A foundation set up in memory of a young Australian killed in last October's bomb attacks is helping Balinese widows rebuild their lives by teaching them the life skills to one day become self-sufficient.
The Zero-to-One foundation was set up by family and friends of Robert Thwaites, who was 24 when he was killed along with five teammates from a Jakarta rugby union team on a football tour to Bali.
Even at such a young age Robert had already shown the qualities of a true leader, developing a life plan that included setting up a foundation to give back to society.
He did not live long enough to put the idea into practice, but his parents Geoff and Syamsinar Thwaites joined with other family and friends to make sure Robert achieved his dream.
The foundation's philosophy is based on Robert's belief that anyone can achieve a goal, big or small, by taking steps to get from ""Zero to One"".
Victims of terror are currently at ""point Zero"", but with some planning and help they can reach ""point One"", which represents self-esteem and self-reliance.
The foundation aims to stop the cycle of hate that terrorism breeds by providing these victims with ""tools for life"" to steer them away from acts of hate to a life of hope.
It has recruited mostly young people from Australia, America and Indonesia to help victims of terrorism and their dependents survive everyday challenges such as providing their children with three meals a day and a good education.
One of these recruits is 22-year-old Asriana Kebon, who was on a flight to Australia when the bombs ripped through the popular Kuta nightspot.
Upon landing, she was not prepared for the kind of saturation media coverage that followed the attack.
The Australian media seemed to be obsessed with finding famous footballers who had been injured or killed, and appeared to show little regard for the blow that had just been dealt to a country of some 215 million people.
""The media coverage in Australia was more focused on western victims and footballers, and I was disappointed that people were not thinking of the Indonesian victims and the (indirect economic) impact that the bombing has had on people throughout Indonesia,"" Asriana says.
""So I decided to join the Zero-to-One foundation as a volunteer to help the Balinese and Indonesian victims of the bombing."" Asriana, whose mother is Australian and father Balinese, is now the Balinese representative for the foundation and is on call 24-hours-a-day.
She works mostly with widows and dependents of those killed in the bombing.
For these women -- many of whom had not previously worked outside of the family home -- the foundation represents the path to self-sufficiency, helping them create their own opportunities for employment.
Administered by a board of directors in Australia, the foundation has provided Rp 100 million since February in emergency relief payments to around 80 different families in Indonesia, helping them pay for schooling and accommodation while the widows seek permanent jobs. Once permanent work is found, the monthly payments cease.
But searching for employment in Bali is not easy. The economic impact of the bombing has pushed the official jobless rate up to around 20 percent and there are few signs that anybody is looking at hiring new staff in the near future.
One of Zero-to-One's most important projects in Bali has been to fully sponsor a program known as Adopta, under which widows learn garment making, English language and business skills to help them enter the workforce.
The foundation has rented out a building, fitted it out with sewing machines and other garment-making equipment and given the widows the opportunity to work. Any money from the sale of bags and other garments goes directly to them.
Zero-to-One has also paid for several women to go to beauty school to learn the skills needed to eventually run their own salon.
This initiative is in co-operation with another group of widows, called Yayasan ri Kandhi, named after a female warrior from a Hindu epic.
These women decided to form their own group to specifically help women and children affected by the bombings.
Of the seven positions on the board, three are held by widows and daughters of men killed in the bombing. Another is held by Asriana, in what she says will be a ""guidance"" role.
""The women will decide for themselves how any money raised will be used, while I will just coordinate things and provide guidance,"" she says.
ri Kandhi's founders are hoping that with the training provided through Zero-to-One and with financial support from the community, they will be able to set up a beauty salon to employ widows and their families.
For more information on Zero-to-One, visit www.zero-to-one.org. Yayasan ri Kandhi's e-mail: asri_81@hotmail.com or januarini@hotmail.com.
--Marian Carroll
